Airlander 10: Longest aircraft damaged during flight

The world’s longest aircraft – the Airlander 10 – has been damaged when it took a nosedive during its second test flight.

The 302ft (92m) long aircraft – which is part plane and part airship – was damaged during the flight from Cardington Airfield in Bedfordshire.

The £25m plane understood to have sustained damage to its cockpit.Image: BBC/South Beds News Agency.

The £25m craft is understood to have sustained damage to its cockpit when it hit the ground at about 11:00 BST.

HAV, the developer, said all the crew were “safe and well”.

A spokesman said: “The flight went really well and the only issue was when it landed.”

Airlander 10 is understood to have suffered damage on its return to Cardington Airfield.Image: BBC/South Beds News Agency.

The company has denied claims from a witness that a line hanging down from the vehicle hit a telegraph pole about two fields away from its landing.

It said a debrief was being carried out and a further update would be provided after that.

The cockpit was damaged on landing.Image: BBC/South Beds News Agency.

The aircraft had its first test flight from the airfield on 17 August.

Christened the Martha Gwyn, it was first developed for the US government as a surveillance aircraft but the project was shelved amid defense cutbacks.

HAV launched a campaign to return the Airlander 10 to the skies in May 2015. It claims it could be used for a variety of functions such as surveillance, communications, delivering aid and even passenger travel.

It says the huge aircraft will be able to stay airborne for about five days during manned flights.